Holma's Physiological Words in Assyrian-Babylonian

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ISflofe Kotice

HOLMA'S PHYSIOLOGICAL WORDS IN ASSYRLA.N-BABYLONIAN>

A Finnish scholar, Dr. Harri Holma of Helsingfors, makes a remarkable
contribution to Assyriology in his first publication. He has prepared a thesis
upon the names of the various parts of the body, both himian and animal,
and has done this not only with a thorough knowledge of Semitic philology
but with a fine feeling for the cultural and philosophic aspects of the subject.
Undoubtably the names for the more important parts of the body belong
to the very oldest vocabulary of Semitic, so old and so important in human
speech that many of these names became prepositions or were employed in
adverbial phrases. Thus libbu, "heart," with the locative ending m became
an ordinary preposition libbu, "in," "concerning."^ Also libbi,^ as well
as ana libbi, ina libbi, is an ordinary preposition in Babylonian. Hohna
adduces further kirib, "within," "in," from kirbu, "inwards," kabal,
"in the midst of," from kablu, "abdomen," idi, "beside," "at the side of,"
from idu, "hand."^ Most likely the ordinary word itti, "with," "beside,"
is derived from the feminine form of idu, "hand," viz., ittu, "side,"' not
to be confused with itu, "edge."* The author further adduces ah, "by,"
"near," from ahu, "arm," mub, "over," "on," from mubbu, "head,"
"craniiun."

Holma regards muhbu as Semitic, following the lexicons, and derives
from 'nn2, "be fat," whence words in Arabic, Syriac, and late Hebrew for
"brains." This derivation may be correct; in that case the Sumerians who
had a word mug for "cranium," and a preposition mug, "upon," "over,"
borrowed it from the Semites. See examples in my Sumerian Grammar,
p. 229. It is curious that both Sumerian and Babylonian employ the word
for "cranium," and never for "brains" and "fat." mug generally employed
in a local sense, "upon," "over,"' may be employed also in a causal sense,
mug-mu iAG-DiB-BA=eli-ia isbus-ma, "because of me she was angry,"
IVR, 10a, 52. Also plit, "before," is certainly connected with pHtu,
"forehead."

Babylonian possesses a few words borrowed from the Sumerians such as
Samabhu, "spleen(?)," most surely a loan-word (against Holma, p. 83),

I Die Namen der K&rperteile im Assyrisch-Babylonischen, Von Harri Holma, Ph.D.
Leipzig, 1911.

> libbu agai, concerning this, Harper, Letters, 291, 6. 16.

» Probably abbreviation ot ana libbi, etc.

4 Cf. 1-du-us, "beside" (Dhorme, Choix de Textes, 14, 109; King, Creation, 16, 109.

s See Vorderasiatiache Bibliotheh, IV, 322. « Ibid,, 313.

' Ct. Sum. Or., 188, 41.

74

Book Notices 75

tikku, "neck/'i Sasurru, "womb,^ but the small number of these loan-
words proves Conclusively that the Semites already possessed a complete
vocabulary for such essential objects before they came into contact with the
ancient inhabitants of the Tigris and Euphrates. Perhaps no group of
words could be found in Babylonian so completely free from foreign influence
and so thoroughly Semitic.

Holma's book is well-nigh exhaustive so far as our present material goes
and the few additions I am able to make have been gathered with much
labor.

P. 1, the ordinary word for "body," zumru, Siun. su, probably means
"skin, hide," originally (see Sum. Gr., p. 20). For zurru cf. su-ri (CT,
12, 14, 24).

P. 3 paru, "hide," perhaps loan-word. Note BAR=pagru, etc.
(IIR, 30e, 43-6), and BAR=pa-a-ri la [ameli ?] {CT, 12, 17a, 5). Hohna
regards UZU+diud as identical with UZU+pl.=hiT^, "aU the members."
But cf. K. 3886 in Bezold's Catalogue, the §IR+dual of a horse.'

P. 4, note 9, add esimtu in Th.-Dangin, Lettres et Contrats, 9, 7.

P. 7 on manani, cf. k- = mananu {CT, 16, 31, 102). This linp is to
be transcribed as follows: II nig-gir a-ga-an tum xtd-Iu-uI-Iub samag-
DiM-MA BAR-Gil-RA- manani esmati nulS ubbulu(?) ftmu ha.l<l
umsatu 'ilu, "Nerves, bones, and muscles wracked with pain( ?) day of
desolation, pain, and disease." For a-ga-an txjm see also VR, 516, 79.

P. 8, on lip6, "caul, omentum," probably Heb. nbn (see AJSL,
28, 219).

P. 16, for lapilti la inim, "lower eye lashes," and elit inim "upper
eye lashes," see Virolleaud in Babyloniaca, 1, 101.

P. 39, labanu, "breast," Arabic laban (see Johnston in American
Journal of Philology, 1912 [review of Harper's Letters]).

P. 50, Br. 3312, Simierian to be read TiG-MtfR (see Sum. Gr., 229).

P. 61 kirbitu and similar words for "meadow," are connected with

Arabic v_aJ>^, "field," probably, "lowland, meadow." Note that the

Sumerian for kirbitu is sag-du, "where the flood flows," and cf. PSBA,
1911, 86, 25, Ia-na MU-TJN-Di-Di=[m61i-la]* illar-li, "she directs for
her her floods."

P. 103, note 1, Meissner SAI, 1734, etc.; (on this If lu see Sum. Gr.,
240, and below on lili irtum').

• Certainly a loan-word from tig, tik, "neck" (see Sum. Or., 247). Perhaps origi-
nally tikku. Holma's suggestion (p. 40), where he connects the word with Heb. tok,
"oppression," etc., is not satisfactory.

' The vocabulary reproduced at the end ol this review mentions two loan-words at
the end of the reverse.

•Slru certainly denotes a spedal part of the body in CT, 12. 2 rev. 7, Stlum
Sa takalti, "Sllu of the stomach," and Si-lum Sa 5Irl, "Slluof the lungs (?)."

' Apparently omitted in the Semitic version, 1. 26.

' Correctly rendered already in Bab., IV, 191, where read Sillu with Holma.

76 The American Journal of Semitic Languages

P. 120, on rittu, ci.DA, 23,2, ritta-Su pat-rat, "if his palm be
open"; cf. Bab., I, 15, 47, and 109, 47.

P. 129, on puridu, see PSBA, 1908, 270.

P. 158, meku, "throat ?" "open jaws( ?)," see PSBA, 1909, 113. Abso-
lutely false is Jensen's explanation of the sin mekuS asa sign of the accusa-
tive. The word has the meaning "contents" (see VAB, I, 180, 66).

Among the many penetrating observations of the author, the Assyriolo-
gists should especially note the correction of the Code of Hammurabi, § 221,
le-ir ba-nam, "Inwards?" formerly taken for one word, Serbanam.
Holma regards se-ir as a determinative and he is doubtless right (see
p. 153, below).

I was able to obtain a copy of a bilingual list of parts of the body, the
lower end of a long thin tablet of which I give here a transcription. I dare
say -the fortunate possessor of this text will cause it to be published soon,
and will pardon my use of the text, since it is of the utmost value in the recen-
sion of Holma's book. I do not vouch for absolute acciu-acy, the text was
not long in my possession (see p. 78).

Line 8 is of more than ordinary interest. The word Itlu (hardly ii-ni ?)
is probably identical with the word § 6 1 u discussed by Holma, p. 103. Apart
from §ilu, "ruler," §ilu, "shade room," whose meanings appear to be
established (see Muss-Arnolt, 1036&, §Jlu 1 and 3), there exists another
§llu, Sillu which is a Sumerian loan-word and completely misunderstood
by the lexicographers.

Holma, p. 103, rightly rejected the meaning §illu, "hide," but falsely
confused Sillu, "cavity," "womb," with §illA (sill(i?), some kind of date
or fruit. Silu, selu is derived from a Sumerian root sil §il, "cavity,"
"hole," "vessel," and also came to mean "womb." Note ?^A (si-la) =
silitum, ipu, "womb," WZKM, 26,391, onCT, 12, 16a, 26 f. Already in
Sum. Gr., 240, I had arrived at the fundamental meaning of §il and the
loan-word §ilum. For the root sil in the sense of "vessel" cf. karpat
(siLiMA)iirAZ<=bub§a[§u], 5^17, 2181. So read, see i2A, VL 128. These
words should appear in the lexicon as follows:

stlu, "cavity," "hole," "womb," loan-word from i/§il Si-il=4 =
si-lum sa NU-GIS-SAR, "water vessel of the gardener." [§1-11=*-^ =
§i-lum] sa issuri, a,ndburu = ^=&i-\nra §a issuri, "crop of a bird,"
CT, 12, 15a, 9, and VR, 37d, 8. CT, 12, 15a, 10, [Si"-lum] §a nuni, "belly
of a fish."

buru= ^ =si-lum §a §iri VR, 37d, 7, and 5i-lum §a takalti (1. 8),
the latter phrase = " cavity of the stomach"; siru certainly a part of the
body, possibly "lungs," hence "cavity of the lungs?" §il-gan (kar?) =
§e-lum sa Seri, "cavity of the lungs?" CT, 18, 496, 1-f 19, 33 (80-7-19,
307) 1. 3 (after Meissner, SAI, 1734). Here se-e-lu §a §lri in Sm. 1803
(Meissner, Supplement), twice with Sumerian broken away and farther down
si(?)-lu §a sinniiti, "womb of a woman."

Book Notices

77

Sillu, thesame. siL(4) = sil-lu §a takalti/'cavityof thestomach,"
IIR, 62c, 64. More often "womb"; §iL = ''-^ = li-il-lum §a sinniiti,
CT, 12, 15a, 21; ardatu §a idlu damku §il-la-§a (igi-kak-a-ni) la
ipturu, Bab., IV, 191. In IIR, 62cd!, 61-63, iS-PA . . . . , iS-PA-TV

. . '. and TUL-BA .... =§il-lu §a See for collation of this

text Sum. Gr., 240.

Sumerian

Semitic

Translation

6.

e-§i-en gi-ru'

Backbone

7.

ki-§ir rr

Knot of the backbone^

8.

[UZU ZAG-LU]

i-mit-tum

Right thigh

9.

UZU [ZAG-LC?] A-RI-A

Su-u'

10.

UZU ZAG-LU A-EI-A

ni-is-^u i-mit-tum

11.

UZU ?A ZAG-LU

rr

12.

UZU 5A ZAG-LU

Sa is-di-ka

13.

UZU ?A ZAG-LU

gan-di-is-su

14.

UZU ?A ZAG-LU

nag-la-bi

hip(?)

15.

UZU BAR ?A

rr

hip(?)

16.

UZU SAG-BAE-?A

^alf-ka-du ff

Topof thehipC?)

17.

UZU SUg-BAR-^*

mxir( ?)-ha-zi-in-nu

Bottom of the hip (?)

18.

UZU IM-ESU(.?)'-BI(?)

as*-]ju-um-bit-tum

Hump

19.

UZU gi}-bal-PA-KAR

rr
rr

20.

UZU PA-GISGAL'

21.

UZU ?A-DI-A

n

22.

UZU ?a'-mb-gan

a

23.

UZU AS'-KU-UM-BIT-TUM

rr

24.

UZD mal-la-tum

kMi»-tum

Form

25.

mi-nu-tum

Form

26.

DZUGis-As: ff

UZU sag-ds: ff

27.

UZU ka-gal:ma-la-ku

' Above this word are Ave Incomplete words, du [ku? I-tal(?)-lum,

pl-tu .... Sa-nu ma-nu.

' I.e., vertebra.

s This indicates a loan-word but the pronunciation of the Sumerian Is doubtful.
Possibly a phonetic gloss stood at the left of a-bi-a.

• Literally, u5Si naglabi.
iBr. 11208(?).

• Uncertain, a z , as? Of. askubittum, Holma, 141.
'Glossed zllulu (CT, 12, 41, 15.).

' kad(?) so my,copy(?).

» See above.

10 For variants ka-at, kit (Br. 1365), see BSUenrucher, Nergal, 38. This variant
§U Is not found elsewhere. The reading * not J: appears probable, but is not certain.
The derivation from k&nu, "fix," is the most probable, but still questionable. For K.
4956 dted by Bdllenrttcher see now Babylonian Liturgies, No. 9.

78 The American Journal of Semitic Languages

ReVEBSI!

Sumerian

Semitic

Translation

1.

UZU-TI

?i- [lu]

Rib

2.

UZU-TI-TI

aS-ba(?) a-ti

Floating ribsC ?)

3.

UZU-KAK-TI

[sik-]kat §i-lii

Breast bone

4.

UZU K*K-TI TOE'

na-a9-pa-du

Soft sternum

5.

UZU KAK-ZAG-GA

kas-ka-su'

Sternal cartilage

6.

UZU KAK-ZAG-QA-TIB-BA

ka-tap-pa-a-tum*

Shoulder

7.

UZU -GAB

ir-tum

Breast

8.

UZU PA-GAB

si-ii rr

Cavity of the chest

9.

UZU Ab-gab*

§i-i-ri nap-^a-ri

Flesh of

10.

UZU ab-tie'

pir4u'

Womb(?)

11.

UZU-iB-DUN

rr

Womb(?)

12.

UZU LI-DUE*

a-bu-un-na-tum

13.

UZU me-gan

y-in-^i

Loins

14.

UZU MX-tfB-EA

zi-tum lib-bi»

Anus

15.

UZD mX-ub-ba

di-ig-Su'": zur-marlib-bi ff

Anus, crotch(?)

16.

UZU (mu-bu)B[AK

mi-i-ri"

Womb

17.

UZU sag: lib-bi

UZU Sag:kar-su

Abdomen'2

18.

UZU sag: kie-bi

UZU lag: ir-ri

Belly, Intestines

1 CI. CT., 20. 40, 23; 39, 5; Melssner. SAI, 3617.

« Literally "little peg ol the breast."

•For kaskasu = Syr. kuskasa, "cartilage," from kasasu, "to gnaw," see my
Nev^BahylonUche KSnigainachriften, 334. In liver omens the word probably means
"grizzle, muscular tissue." For the passages in omen texts see Klauber, PoHUsch-
Beligiese Texte, LV and 171. The word means properly the cartilages which connect the
short ribs to the sternum.

< Syr. kathpa, pi. kathpatha; note Tabnudic kfithaphta.

' Ab-qab hitherto only as name of a plant (Br. 8873, etc.).

• Hitherto only as plant name, SAI, 6667.

' Perhai>s same meaning as piriStu (see Sum. Bab. Psalms, 250, 10; PSBA, 1908,
270).

» Correct SAI, 5562, to giI-li-dub, which is the name of a tree on a text In Constanti-
nople. Note that li-du» is the ideogram for the names of at least three plants (Br.
128-30) . The magician casts liquid with a curse upon the abunnatl of a man (KUchler,
Med. , p. 10, 59) . The right and left abunnatu of a child are mentioned, followed by the
right and left buttock (utlu), right and left testicles, (iir) (CT, 28, 27, 12 f.). Conse-
quently a part of the body in pair in the region of the genitals. See Frank, Studien, 141.

• Soreadfor Holma's KC-rt/ilf, theslgnls ziDnot Ku. Loan-word zlttummu, a
kind of inferior meat (Dhorme, Choix, 249, 74).

" DioSu. In Assyrian the root "to perforate" corresponding to Syrlac dSgaS and
new Hebrew dagaS , Plel "to sharpen a sound," Hiph. "to speak distinctly," is perhaps
better written dakaSu "to prick," "to ruptiue." dikSu, "rupture," "break," dl-
kl-ls-sa "its rupture" (.CT, 28,43,4); dl-ki-za, 20,39,3; re5. di-ik-gl, K. 134,
1; dl-ik-Su (CT, 20, 41, 17). Only in the last example not of the gaul. dlkSu in
our text a synonym of zitum libbi.

" For Slun. MTTRTr(B) ="womb," ftBu, see Sum. Or., 230. mIbu is surely connected
with the root 6rfl, my. "to lay bare," cf. mtrdnu, "nakedness."

"karSu usually "stomach."

Book Notices
Rbvbbse — Continued

79

Sumerian

Semitic

Translation

19.

DZD SAG-MAG

§ama^-^u

Large intestines

20.

CZD SAG-MAG

ir-ri l^ab-rii

Intestines of the abdo-
men

21.

[uzu sag]-sig

ff kat-ni

Small intestines'

22.

[czu sag]-mcd-dC-a

ff Sa da-mu ma-lu-u

The intestines which are
full of blood'

23.

LIK-KU

su-u

24.

SA

§u-u

25.

[uzu sag-]niqin

ti-ra-nu*

Small intestines.

26.

[uzu-sag-]niqin

ir-ri saJ}-J}a-ru-tu<

Ileum(?)

27.

GA?

pir-'su

28.

.... ki-tum

SillA, sillA, some kind of date palm, VR, 26, 48; IIR,44,38; 62,73;
iVoM. 476, 8, etc. See Muss-Amolt, 8756 and 875. Here certainly §fl-lu-u
following imbu, Rm. 346, Obv. 11. silu= ? IR, I, 7E3, "form,"
"§hape(?)." Perhaps same word as Sllu.

The same author continuing his penetrating studies upon certain culture
groups of words now adds a monograph' upon (1) Assyrian names for skin
diseases, (2) AssjTian fish-names, and (3) a selection of Assyrian plant-names.
The same effort to combine philology with social and cultural science nmrks
the author's investigations, and a more scientific definition of numerous
words results from his studies. For Hebrew philology of special importance
is the reading of ublu, which Jensen had falsely connected with abalu, "to
lament," and translated by "mourner's garment," as uplu and the identi-
fication with Hebrew bsi?, "boil," prove. The meaning had already been
given correctly by Delitzsch four years before Jensen corrected this meaning,
and the same may be said of malA, "boil," falsely corrected to "dirty
garment" by Jensen and accepted by Ungnad, Dhorme, and other trans-
lators of the Gilgamish Epic. Correct Gilgamish II, Col. Ill, 41; XI, 252;
also the Descent oflshtar, rev. 2, and Zimmern, Beitrdge, 118, 32.

'kabru, hitherto only in sense of "grave, cavern." iama^^u and irrl kabri
are synonyms and clearly designate the large intestines, and contrasted with the irri
katni or "small intestines." Holma, pp. 82 f., and especially p. 83, n. 1, are to be
revised accordingly. Ethiopic sama^e, "spleen," has no i>ossible connection with
this loan-word iama^^u.

s Of. CT, 17, 25, 34.

' According to my medical adviser tliis means the aorta and its branches, the inferior
vena cava and its tributaries.

< This passage verifies Boissier, OLZ, 1908, 456. Probably a special part of the small
intestine, possibly ileum.

' UD. Probably =p a r 5 u (M.A. 8386) .

• Kleine Beitr&ge zum Assyrischen Lexicon, Von Dr. Harri Holma. Helsingfors,
1912.

80 The American Journal of Semitic Languages

The philological connection of sinnitu withpJ^S, "scurf," "leprosy,"

— — f.

appears to be successfully defended (p. 19) . Most interesting is the evidence
for the Babylonian origin of the Aramaic, Persian, and Arabic, jb7J5t, Sanskrit
amalaka, and now an ordinary word in Asiatic languages, European
emblica. Hobna finds the word in ammalugu, documented in the first
Babylonian dynasty (p. 60). Hebrew basal, "garlic," has a cognate in
hisru (p. 66), and §u§an, "lotus," eventually Egyptian, appears in Baby-
lonia as sISanu (p. 94).

Additions which I am able to make upon this monograph are few.

P. 3, et passim, ull&numma, "from before onwards," is taken from a
false etymology of Jensen. The word means ' ' shortly after, " " straightway ' '
(see my note on this word in PSBA [in press]).

P. 8, garabu, "scrofula," perhaps identical with garabu(?), "a
bird" (SAI, 3461). In any case iS appears to mean scrofula in CT, 27, 47,
n=Bab., V, 132, 21.

P. 10, on liptu, seeBA, V, 566, 23, liptu nuSurru Sussl zumruSu,
"Wasting disease make far from his body." See also Martin, Textes Re-
ligieux, 198.

P. 26, in the literature on fish-names mention should be made of Streck,
ZDMG, 61, 633-40; cf. also ZA, 19, 239.

P. 31, NUN=nunu, Br. 2627, probably not a fish (see Hrozny, Ninrag,
53).

P. 65, on BusiNNU, "mullein," see Boissier, choix, 173, 25, "If fire which

is borne on a torch ina bu-si-in[ni ] and divide into two

flames"; here clearly used as a torch as at Rome. If Holma's derivation
from btisu, "byssus," be correct, it might aid in determining the meaning of
"byssus," which occurs in Assyrian (see VAB, IV, 325). In any case either
cotton or linen must be designated by byssus, and it is difficult to see how
either could be made from muUein. If I understand Hohna correctly, he
supposes businnu to mean "cotton plant," and since the mullein leaves
have a wooUy surface the mullein was also called businnu. This is wholly
conjectural if not impossible. Perhaps all connection between businnu
and bAsu should be rejected.

P. 71, zabru, "back," already correctly determined by Dhorme, Chaix,
312. Also piidu and piitu were correctly determined in Sumerian and
Babylonian Psalms, 336.

P. 96, that suburu cannot mean "skate, or turbot, or plaice," because
these have no beards, appears groundless. Fish of the skate type often
have long feelers at the mouth resembling a beard. For other lists of fish
see MIO. 769 in Genouillac, Inventaire, and Genouillac, TrouvaiUe de Drihem,

No. 81.

S. Langdon
Oxford